Replica
by underastarlessnight
Summary: Betty Cooper wakes up when famous singer Lili Reinhart goes missing, along with three of her friends. Betty was created to replace Lili in the public eye, as well as investigate her disappearance, along with Archie, Jughead and Veronica, who are copies of KJ Apa, Cole Sprouse and Camila Mendes, three other young stars. Though the question is: What happened to their originals?


this fic will be from the perspectives of Betty and Lili.

Prologue.

 **Betty.**

 _The images flit through my thought process like a video on fast forward. I see myself, or rather her. She is smiling at her reflection in the car mirror. Her blonde hair blows capriciously in the cool breeze, whipping in her face. I can almost feel it. Almost feel the goosebumps running along her arms, prickling across her flesh. There is no sound. Though her bright smile is enough. She's happy. Her lips mouth along to song lyrics that I don't know. Singing. I remind myself. It's called singing. Sitting next to her is a boy with dark hair falling in bright green eyes. My heart, or rather hers flutters when she catches his eye, his wide grin. He wears a long sleeve white shirt. His collar is wonky, and there's a camera around his neck. He's holding it, snapping pictures of the golden sunset in the LA sky. Her smile is contagious but I don't have a mouth to mimic it. I don't have a body to throw my arms up and scream into the wind like her. Unlike me, she is free._

 _The boy turns to her and says something. His words are too complicated. I try and study them, try and grasp what he's saying. But the images flicker on, her memories attacking my mind. I didn't ask for it. They just came, like a swarm of locusts. I don't even know I am. I have no name. I've only just woken up, though I don't know how long for. There's no concept time where I am. All I remember is my life beginning, confused and disoriented in the dark. Yet I already know what a camera is. I know what a sunset is. I know that the tangerine blur bathing the boy, enveloping his entire body, is sunlight. Beautiful sunlight. And he is beautiful. I can feel her pounding heart, her fluttering stomach every time his lips stretch into a wide, gleaming smile. I don't know who the girl is, or the boy. All I know is that she's part of me. She's the reason why I woke up. Why I suddenly exist._

 _There are two others in the back seat. A girl with golden skin with dark shiny hair under a baseball cap and a sweet smile as she sits cross legged, drumming on her knees to a beat I can't hear. She's laughing too, her eyes are bright and colorful as she nods her head to the music. All I want is to hear them. I want to hear their laughter, I want to hear the melody thrumming through her as she lets loose, letting her body sway, her head rock as the wind continues to spiral her hair into a frenzy, blowing it in her eyes._

 _There's a guy sitting next to the raven haired girl. His feet are up on the seat, a map spread out on his knees. His hair is a vicious shade of red, strands of it sagging in deep brown eyes. His head is tipped back mid-laugh and the girl connected to me loves it. She loves his laugh. It makes her heart sing. They all seem to be singing along to something. Except from the kid with the camera, who continues to take photos. His finger expertly presses down on the button. He turns around to the guy in the back seat and pulls a face. The red haired boy flashes a grin back._

 _I don't know who they are. But I know they're important. I watch them for a while. I feel relaxed. There's a warm feeling enveloping me as I feel the sensations hitting her. I feel the sunlight gracing her skin, I feel the rubber steering wheel gripped in her hands as she taps out a beat. Everything is so pretty. So bright. I long for this. I want to be bathed in light too. Not trapped in infinity darkness. Though the images don't last forever. I feel it like a jolt, my ghost limbs startling. Before I know it, the scenery changes from crystalline blue sky, rough concrete of the rocky road ahead cutting into the cliffs of sunny Los Angeles to…_ _ **darkness**_ _. It's just the dark. I can't see. I can't see anything._

 _No. I remind myself._ ** _She_** _can't see._

 _I don't have a body to feel panic, but I feel hers. I feel it rooted inside of her, setting off all of her emotions at once. I can't see or feel the smile on her face anymore. I can only feel her pain, her fear. The warm sunlight glowing against her skin is no more. Instead it's the cold. It's mind numbing ice enveloping her, dragging her into oblivion. I try to cry out to her, ask if she's okay. But I don't have a throat to conjure words. I don't have lips to cry with. So I'm forced to sit in darkness, in the void I've woken up inside. All at once it's like a wire connecting the two of us has been severed. The sensation is like drowning. Above the surface, I feel her agony and terror. Though I'm dragged down by the vapid current, torn away from her so all I feel then is...nothing._

 _There's still no sound. I feel like I've been sucked into a vacuum. But I do start to slowly regain what she's physically feeling. It's like I'm there with her. She's sitting on cold concrete and her legs are aching, her arms are numb. She can't feel them. They're pinned to her back. They hurt so much. She hurts so much. Where she is...it's closed in. So tiny. So small. I want to know her name, so I can scream it at the top of my non existent lungs. But I can't. So I wait for sound. I wait for a voice. I wait for her voice. But it doesn't come. What does come, however, is what shatters me from the inside and rags me from the purgatory in my mind. I'm trying to move, trying to cry, because I know she's in trouble. I know her friends are in trouble. But what stops me, startling me into wakefulness, is a sudden noise that rips into me, into my newly woven mind. I feel it scorching against my skull and tearing into every thought process I have._

 _It's her. I realize. It's the sunshine haired girl who I thought was on mute. But she's not. It's her scream that rattles my mind, sending my bedraggled thoughts into a tumultuous tsunami inside my head. I try and block it out, but I don't have hands to press against my ears. I don't have a voice to override it with my own. Though amidst her scream, something awakens inside me and I suddenly know her name, as if it had just been plunged through my skull. Her name is pretty, like her sunshine hair. Like her beautiful friends._

 _Lili._

CHAPTER 1 - BOBCAT.

"Sweetie, can you hear me?"

The voice splinters through my mind, dragging me back to some kind of consciousness. Her voice is soft and sweet, almost a gentle caress as she coaxes me from the dark. It's hard at first. I don't want to let go. I guess I got used to it. Sitting in the dark with no concept of time. I just existed. Without a body, without a voice. All I had were my own thoughts.

The further I drift into reality, the low hum of _nothing_ , of the void I'd been trapped in for so long. It subsides. Making way for a high pitched _bleep!_ Which scathes my ears. I feel something already- my first emotion. I'd been waiting to feel it for so long. I wanted to feel _happiness._ Like her. I wanted to experience _sadness_ and _anger._ Though all I feel is an edge. I feel it cutting through, grabbing hold of my tongue, a sharp spark willing my lips to utter the word _stop_. I wanted to yell at it. I wanted to tear into the mechanics and rip out the stupid noise once and for all. Yes. That was anger. _Irritation_. The word appears in my mind, as if it works like a personal dictionary. Just like the knowledge of the camera, of the sunlight and the sunset in my mind. I already know what the aggravating bleeping noise is. It's a hospital monitor.

"Hm. She's awake. She just seems to be having trouble opening her eyes."

The woman's voice once again cracks through the mental barrier I had built around myself. "Honey, would you mind opening your eyes?"

 _No_. I think stubbornly. How can I open my eyes when I'm no one? I don't have a name. I only have hers, wedged in my memory as if it was planted there on purpose. _Lili_. Her name puts a bad taste in my mouth. Though admittedly, it does feel good to _have_ a mouth. I gingerly run my tongue over my teeth and feel a spark of excitement. I finally have my own teeth, my own mouth. _I have a voice._ Though I'm almost sure it'll be dry and cracked, since it hadn't been used yet. My throat feels like...like sandpaper. It's parched. I swallow hard, and wince. I feel more in touch with reality once I actively use my body in some way. I hear a sharp intake of breath, which must be the woman. She sounds excited. "She's waking up."

Opening my eyes is hard. I feel like they're glued shut. Though I can suddenly feel my limbs attached to my body. I can feel my arms lying beside me. I can feel my head cushioned in soft pillows. _Come on._ I willed my eyes, daring them to open. I want to see the light. I want to see another face that wasn't _hers_ , or her friends. I'd only seen them twice, yet I can't get their faces out of my head. Whoever Lili was, she was in danger.

That realization in itself is enough to prise my eyes open. I'm greeted to not one but two faces staring down at me. The light is blinding, peeking through my lashes as I gingerly open them wider and wider until I'm staring at two young women grinning down at me. One is blonde, the other brunette. I can only stare back at them, willing my throat to croak out some kind of English. Except I'm frozen. Instead of looking at the women that appear to be nurses, I take in my surroundings. I'm In a dimly lit room with clinical white walls and floor tiles. _Hospital_. I think. I find my gaze looking down myself, even if my lower half is covered by thick bedding. I see bulges beneath the blankets. _My legs_.

"She's looks just like her." One of the nurses says softly, and I turn my attention back to them. They're still staring at me, and I start to feel…. _uneasy_. I swirl the word around in my head and decide that's exactly how I felt. I try and move, but my body aches. I instinctively bring up my hand to run it through my hair, and find myself staring at it. _My hands_. They look like hers. Like Lili's. Like the ones gripping the steering wheel in my vision of her. Before I can stop myself, I'm grabbing fistfuls of my hair so I can see it. My heart stutters. It's the same color. The same sunshine color. The same wispy curls. _No way_. I think, wanting to giggle. _Laughing_. But right now I can't. I'm choked up. Could I see Lili's memories because I _am_ her?

But Lili had a life. I didn't. I had been officially alive for 3 minutes and counting. I must have looked confused, because the blonde nurse shook her head, tutting a little. "I understand how confused you must be right now." She said lightly. "But fear not! We'll do our best to explain."

I only nod. The blonde nurse folds her arms across her chest while the brunette checks my vitals and fiddled with a thin rectangular device in her hands. _Tablet_.

"Okay, honey. How about we give you a name?" The nurse asks, her tone is genuine enthusiasm, and I found myself smiling softly. She grins back and points at a name tag pinned to her light blue scrubs. "I'm nurse Deaton by the way."

I smile again. I don't really want to talk yet. Nurse Deaton glances down at her own tablet and clicks her tongue. _"_ Betty." She says, her gaze flickering to me for confirmation. "How does Betty Cooper sound?" Before I can answer, or least do my best to answer, she's frowning. "Or how about Elizabeth?"

I shrug. I liked Betty. The nurse smiles at me, and I wonder if she has a daughter of her own. "Sorry about this," she rolls her eyes. _Sarcasm_. The word flutters into my mind, and I happily welcome it. "The name does mean something!" She said brightly, and then she winks. "It's quite a story."

"Naming the poor kids after the Archie characters?" The brunette nurse scoffs. She's still frowning at her tablet. "It's crazy if you ask me. All of our Replica's are named after famous names in literature, like George Orwell and Emily Bronte and we name these kids after a bunch of old comic book characters."

"Liza." Nurse Deaton's tone hardens. "Don't you have duties on ward 4?"

The brunette nurse, or "Liza" nods with a shrug, before exiting my room.

Nurse Deaton sighs. She must have caught my look of confusion. "Okay, Betty," she says softly. "I'm going to try and explain this as thorough as possible. Don't worry if you don't understand." She laughs a little. "You wouldn't be the first one."

I try to smile, though my stomach is in knots. Do I really want to know why I'm here? Even if the question had plagued me since I woke up in the darkness?

"Okay, so Betty. You are what we call an AP." Nurse Deaton smiles reassuringly. "We call it an Artificial print. You are an Artificial print of Lili Reinhart, after we.." she trails off, trying to word it. I guess she was going to think of a word that wasn't; "Clone." Which automatically popped into my head the second she said "AP."

"I guess you could call it a copy? You're a copy of Lili." The nurse said.

That explained her memories plaguing my thoughts and why I feel so _close_ to her. I have her body, her hair, her expression. I'm sure if I looked into a mirror and tried her smile, I'd see her grinning back at me. I stare at the nurse, and suddenly I can't help it. The words are flowing through my cracked lips before I can stop them.

"Am I human?" I ask softly. My heart is in my throat. Is that what I am? Am I just a copy of _her_? Why did they need me?

Nurse Deaton's expression crumples for a second, before she nods. "Betty, of course you are!" She clears her throat. "You were born like any other human being. You have your own thoughts, your own personality," she smiles. "You just look like Miss Reinhart." I nod slowly. I open my mouth to ask if the vision's are normal, if they're part of the connection that Lili and I share.

"Of course you're no _ordinary_ human, Betty." She continues excitedly. "Your mind was…how should I say this?" She cocks her head. "It was... tweaked, so you'll have the knowledge a normal twenty year old should have."

Okay, that made sense. Why my brain is suddenly bursting with new words and definitions that I can understand perfectly.

"Where is she now?" I ask, a bit louder. When the nurse frowns, I clear my throat. "Lili, I mean." I say. I think about seeing her sitting in the cold, screaming into the dark. She was nowhere.

Once again, the nurse's expression falls. "We can get to that later, dear." She looks like she forces a smile. "For now, would you like to see her?" I understand her automatically. _She means Lili._

Before I can answer, she's shoving her tablet in my face. I stare down at the screen, and my heart falters when I see the image stuck in the middle of the screen. It's hard to avoid them. It's the boy with dark hair and green eyes, the redheaded grinning kid and the sweet smiled raven haired girl. They're posing for a photo, and Lili is in the middle. They're all pulling faces, their arms wrapped around each other. Nurse Deaton chuckles.

"This is why we named you Betty," she murmured. "Lili, Cole, KJ and Camila were nicknamed after the Archie gang, since they resembled them so much." She said. Her pastel colored fingernail glides over to each of their faces. "See?" She giggles. "KJ and his red hair practically screams a modern Archie."

 _KJ._ I think. The redhead had a name. They all did. New names overriding the names of the missing stars.

I stare down at the photo as she goes through each of them. "Camila and Lili are the perfect Betty and Veronica." She says, before she strokes her nail against the smiling face of the dark haired boy. "As for Cole, I think the resemblance to Jughead is almost uncanny." I smile along with her, though my heart hurts. I can't stand looking at their smiling faces knowing something bad has happened to them.

Nurse Deaton glances at me. "Ah, of course." She murmurs. Her expression darkens. "Well, I'm sure you're a smart girl, honey. You must know that we awaken replicas when something…" she trails off again. "...bad happens to the original copy." I must look horrified because she shakes her head. "Oh no, no! Lili isn't dead!" Her smile is far too big to be genuine. Nurse Deaton plants her hands on her hips. "Betty, what I'm about to tell you is confidential. Do you understand? There are only a small amount of people who know the truth."

 _Well that sounded ominous._ Though I don't say that out loud. I force a smile. "I understand." I say softly, and the nurse nodded. She looks noticeably shaken.

"Betty. Last week Lili Reinhart went missing. But not just her. Camila, KJ and Cole have also disappeared." She bit her lip. "The thing is- Lili is a famous singer and songwriter. KJ and Cole are young Hollywood stars, and Camila is a model. These kids are incredibly famous, and we do not want to panic the public. We thought ahead when the kids were getting themselves into trouble-" she paused. "They were in a car collision last year. At that point their manager's were desperate for a fail safe. They wanted to make sure, if they were to ever be hurt in an accident, or get into substance abuse, there would be copies of them ready to take over their life."

I'm already putting things together in my mind. They wanted me to _be_ Lili. While she was locked in a cellar somewhere, crying out for help, they wanted _me_ to carry on her life of stardom.

"What about Lili?" I ask, panicking. _They can't just- leave her?_ Though the nurse smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry, Betty. Dr. Wilder will explain everything."

But I still want to know so much more! Do I tell Nurse Deaton about what I saw? Though before I can even consider it, she's helping me sit up. "Okay, Betty!" She grins. Though it's not genuine anymore. As soon as Lili was mentioned her mood had gone sour. "How about we get you to the meeting room? We have lots to get through, sweetheart."

I frown. "Meeting room?" I parrot, while the nurse gently coaxes me out of bed so I'm awkwardly sitting on the edge, my bare feet dangling. I pull at the hospital gown hanging off my thin frame. The material slides between my fingers.

"Well of course!" The nurse says. "You four are going to be mimicking the lives of a quartet of best friends. We need to get you meeting them ASAP." She says happily, and my chest clenches. I don't want to meet them. Because they're not going to be Camila, Cole and KJ. They're just like me; cheap, carbon copies.

Yet somehow… I feel as if I have to see them.

Dr. Wilder was tall, with short blonde hair and glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He greeted me with a smile and a nod as Nurse Deaton escorted me into the room. It looked to be a children's library. There were bookcases everywhere with colorful covers sporting each shelf. The floor was covered in a colorful carpet, and there were bean bags everywhere. It wasn't exactly the best place to sit four teenagers. At least I _think_ I'm a teenager. How old was Lil again? Twenty? Didn't that still count as a young person?

There was a small table, already occupied by three kids wearing the same hospital gowns as mine and my heart skipped a beat when I realized they were Lili Reinhart's friends. Well. Like me, they were cheap knock off versions of them. They were the ones I saw both in my vision and the photograph Nurse Deaton showed me. The second I walked in, all eyes turned to me. And I in turn stared at them, my stomach twisting. There was a girl with olive skin and dark hair playing with her nails, meticulously scanning them. She raised her eyebrow at me, a smirk playing on her lips. _Camila_. She was the perfect copy of the missing girl. Right down to her smile. I freeze in the doorway as I take them all in. The redhead is hard to miss. _KJ._ He peers at me through that intense red hair that had wavered in the wind in Lili's vision. He has the boy's brown eyes that drink me in curiously. He smiles softly, and I can't resist one back. It's weird seeing them, after knowing what happened to their originals. That _somewhere_ with Lili, these kids were hurting too. They were lost.

"Betty, there's no reason to be afraid." Dr. Wilder clears his throat. But I _am_ afraid. I take a few steps forward, but my chest is aching, my stomach is twisting and turning. The third kid is who I first saw in Lili's memory, sitting next to her. He has the same olive skin and raven hair falling in deep set green eyes. He looks at me, his lips curled slightly. _Impossible_. His expression is the exact one I saw plastered on the boy's face in Lili's vision. _Amusement._ He's studying me, trying to find Lili in me. I want to scoff at him. _Good luck finding her._

I hurry to the table and take a seat next to the raven haired girl, and Dr. Wilder claps his hands together. "Alright!" He says with a grin. "Introductions." He gestured to the four of us, who couldn't have looked more awkward. I stared down at my lap, my cheeks burning. So this was what it was like to be nervous. This was a feeling I could live without. I hated the twist and turning of my gut, as if my body was lurching it back and forth. When none of us spoke, Dr. Wilder sighed. "Alright, how about you tell each other your names? Break the ice a little?"

The raven haired girl lifted her head, eager to speak. "I'm Veronica Lodge." She smiled at each of us. "I'm the AP of Camila Mendes." She said that last part a little quieter, her bright eyes dimming slightly.

"Archie Andrews." The redhead speaks up with a small boyish smile. "Uh-" he drags his hand through his thick red locks and his face crumples, the realization passes over his face, why exactly he's here. "I'm the AP of KJ Apa."

"Just your names for now." Dr. Wilder cuts in, with an irritated look. "You don't have to mention your AP's, guys."

Though the raven haired boy didn't seem to get the memo. He looked up and flashes us with a shy smile. "Jughead Jones," he says. "The official Artificial Print of the one and only Cole Sprouse." His tone is twisted with sarcasm, and I love it.

Archie smirks at that, and Veronica giggles under her breath. I fight a smile, though there's definitely one on my face when Jughead glances at me, almost as if to see if I found it amusing. I only roll my eyes at him through strands of my hair that fall in front of my face. It's my turn. The three of them turn to me, curiously. I shrug and smile. "I'm Betty Cooper." I say, loving the way the name felt coming out of my mouth. Finally I had an identity. I was no longer a faceless lost soul in the dark. I wonder if the others see visions of their originals. Can Jughead hear Cole like I can hear Lili? Can Archie hear KJ?

"And…?" Jughead catches my eye, spurring me on, his lips twisted into a grin. I recognize it. Lili's vision. The camera hanging from his neck as he grinned at her. There had been something in his eyes. Something my naive mind wasn't yet aware of. His smile gave Lili butterflies. I had felt them fluttering in her gut. _Now what exactly was that feeling?_

 _"Cole!"_ I swear I hear her in my mind, her silent whisper crying out to him. I want to try and grab on to her voice, push myself into her mind. But I can't. There's a mental block. I can only hear her faded voice.

 _"It's okay, it's- it's alright!"_ She sounds panicked, her breath coming out in gasps. She's like an echo. _"We're gonna...get out of here...okay?"_

"Betty?" Dr. Wilder snaps me out of it.

Veronica and Archie are looking at me too, just like Jughead. None of them seemed to have notice my temporary lapse into my mind. The three of them were smiling at me mischievously, silently pushing me to piss off Dr. Wilder even more. Even if it was some kind of joint rebellion, it was the start of _something._ The start of something our counterparts had. Except all that's on my mind is _Lili._ I can feel her. I can feel how cold she is. I can feel her heart slamming against her rib cage. It's like I'm with her.

The thought strikes me out of nowhere. This wasn't a memory. This was what was happening to Lili and the others right now.

"I'm-" I choke on the words, and this time Archie, Jughead and Veronica don't smile. Instead they adapt the same sympathetic frown. But I force out the words anyway. "I'm the Artificial print of Lili Reinhart."

Dr. Wilder doesn't say anything for a long moment and it's in that time I realize that I need to keep Lili's visions to myself.

"Okay, now that you know each other. Let's get down to business." Dr. Wilder seems to come out fruition and has a friendly smile. "So, if you guys are going to become KJ, Camila, Cole and Lili. You're going to have to learn how to act like them." He chuckles. "You have a few hours, I'm afraid. Their manager's are in high demand. Though I'm confident you will each learn quickly."

He hands each of us a small black device. I stare at mine stupidly before gingerly pressing the circular button. _iPhone_. My mind provides the name, and within seconds I'm entering Lili's pass-code and then flicking through each app. Her lock screen is a black and white image of herself. _Modelling._ My mind murmurs.

I find myself tapping on her photos and marveling at them. There are images of the twilight sky, of the sunrise and sunset. There's plates of colorful food and animals in extravagant locations. As I scroll down, I catch glimpses of Lili with the others. Most of them were the four of them either eating, laughing or pulling faces. My heart sinks a little.

I go into her texts to try and find any kind of clue to what happened to her, but to my surprise, her phone has been wiped of messages. _That can't be right…_

I try other apps. _Instagram, Snapchat_ and _Messenger._ Lili's Instagram looked to be how she had left it. Her last photo posted was her wrapping her arms around Camila, as the two stood next to a range-rover. _"Traveling!"_ The caption read. It had nearly 50,000 likes and 7,456 comments.

I check the Facebook application next, and this time her messages are there. _So where are her texts?_ I scroll through them, keeping an eye out for anything that looked suspicious. Though nothing looked out of the ordinary. I tap on her most recent messages from _"Case."_

 **06/07/2017 - Lil, I really need to talk to you, okay? Are you busy?**

Lili hadn't replied. Which was strange. The text had been sent on the 6th June, and when I glance at the current date, it's the 16th. Which meant he sent the text before Lili and the others went missing. I tried to scroll up, scanning for more messages, but the phone wouldn't let me.

"These are the phones that they left at home before they went missing." Dr. Wilder explains. "Bare in mind that the only people who know about you, as well as their disappearances, are their manager's and my colleagues and I."

"What?" Jughead frowns, looking up from Cole's phone. "Are you trying to say not even their families know?" His lip is curled in disgust. Dr. Wilder nods. "I'm afraid so, Mr Jones. "As far as anyone else is concerned, they have been on a road trip," he frowned. "We found their car wrecked on the side of the road. All of the doors were open, including the boot." His voice went a little shaky, and my heart dropped into my stomach. "It's highly likely that they were taken against their will."

"Was there a struggle?" Archie asks curiously. He's staring down at KJ's phone, his expression crumpled.

Dr. Wilder nods. "Yes, Mr Andrews. There appeared to be a struggle," he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Police leading the private investigation found…" He sighed, massaging his chin. "They found dragging marks."

 _Dragging marks?_ I feel sick. I glance at Jughead. He's gone pale.

"Wait," Archie speaks up. "Are there not any...any suspects?" His voice breaks, and I turn my gaze to him. He has the same puppy-dog eyes as KJ.

Dr. Wilder shakes his head. "They were off the grid, so it's hard to tell. But we have our best people at work. We'll find them." He smiles at us. "Your job, meanwhile, is to delve into their personal lives and try and find anything strange or suspicious."

There's an awkward silence while we try and comprehend his words. At least I do.

Dr. Wilder continues. "Anyway…" He retrieves an armful of files and drops them onto the table. " _This,"_ he gestures to the pile. "Is everything you need to know about your originals." He picks up a piece of paper. "Whether it's their favorite food, the amount of times they tweet- or their close friends." He handed me a piece of paper. When I glanced down at it, there was a list of names. "Those are all of Lili's friends, whether they're childhood friends, from college, or other kids in the business." Dr. Wilder says. I glance up to see him looking at me. His piercing blue eyes are hard to ignore. He gestures for me to look back at the paper. "The top names are the ones you need to keep an eye on. So, Casey Cott, Madeline Petch, and so on."

Dr. Wilder continues, dishing out file after file. I grab them, skim reading each one. I sift through home addresses, phone numbers and emails, until something catches my eye. There's a sheet of paper with a photograph of Jughead- _Cole -_ clipped onto it. There's a profile, with his name, numbers, social media accounts, and a highlighted word at top of the document that sent my heart into my throat. **BOYFRIEND**. It was written in bold, and I definitely wasn't seeing things.

Lili and Cole were _together._ The words hit me one by one as I tried to make sense of the word. _Partner. Significant other._

 _Love_. I can't help think. Though _love_ was just a new word in my vocabulary.

It made sense in her vision. The way he was looking at her. I glance up from the document and find Dr. Wilder smirking at me. "Ah, I should have mentioned that Lili and Cole are in a relationship," he nodded to me and then Jughead. "So, you guys are going to have to play the perfect couple."

I must look either confused, disgusted, annoyed, or a mixture of all three. Because Dr. Wilder chuckles. "In the public eye, I mean. Behind closed doors you can hate each other all you like." Jughead doesn't look up from Cole's files. Though I notice his cheeks have blossomed a noticeable pink. I feel my cheeks heat up too. _Embarrassment._ My mind helpfully reminds me. _Blushing._

 _I get it._ I want to seethe at my mind. I concentrate on another file to try and take my mind off _that_ bombshell. I'm barely human. How the hell am I supposed to act like I'm in a relationship? I feel my stomach twist as I scan through pages and pages of info on Lili. I can't believe I'm looking through all of this. As soon as I'm out of here, I'm not living Lili's glitzy life. I'm finding her and the others. How can I just take over her life? I'm a completely different person to her. I just _look_ like Lili. I can't be her.

"Times up!" Dr. Wilder says after a while of the four of us sitting in silence, reading through the lives of our Replicas. "You guys should be fully briefed on how to act. I'm afraid it's time to go into the real world." He smiles at us. "Good luck."

I look up from a bunch of screenshots of texts from Casey Cott, and Dr. Wilder is grinning. "Okay, do you guys think you're ready?" He asks hopefully. He smiles brightly, and I catch Jughead rolling his eyes; _Do we have a choice?_ He mouthed.

I don't have time to answer, or try and explain Lili's visions. Before I know it, I'm being whisked away and thrown into a room and dumped in a chair in front of a mirror. I stay silent as people buzz around me, pulling and yanking at my hair, while others color my face in. _Makeup._ I try hard not to blink as a young girl stands in front of me and gently applied mascara, followed by lipstick and eye-shadow.

They're turning me into Lili. While the real Lili is lost somewhere. She could be dead for all I know. I haven't seen or heard her since the meeting with Dr. Wilder and the AP's.

I'm told to pull on some fancy jeans and t shirt with boots, before a baseball cap is dumped on my head. After a while of being pampered and tweaked, so I don't look dead inside, I'm finally done. Apparently I needed to smile more. I stare into the mirror and try and find Lili in my expression. I have her blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail, strands of it dancing across my forehead. I'm in a green parka and someone dumped a rucksack on my back. I look exactly like I'd come back from a road trip. When I'm rushed outside, there's no sign of the others. The building in front of me is huge. I lose my breath when I stare up at it. It's made completely of glass. The cool breeze feels amazing against my skin, and I revel in the feeling.

Where even am I? frown at the architecture. It didn't _look_ like a hospital...

"Betty, Lili's manager is coming to see you tomorrow morning." Nurse Deaton says, before giving me a tight hug. She holds me far too tight and sniffles into my shoulder. "You'll be okay, alright sweetie?"

Why was she crying?

But once again there's no time for questions. By the time I'm ushered into a cab, it's pitch black. Nurse Deaton hastily gives the driver Lili's address. When the cab sets off, I lean back in the warm seats, thankful for the blissful quiet. The streets of LA whizz past, raindrops sliding down the windows. I didn't get a chance to admire the outdoor world because of Dr. Wilder yelling nonsense in my face, telling me what to do and not to do.

I reach into my pocket, and feel Lili's phone. It still feels so wrong holding it, as if it's mine. The screen lights up with a message, and my heart jumps into my throat when I stare down at it.

 **NOW: Cole: Testing. Does this work?**

It was Jughead. Of course it was. I let out a shaky breath and start to tap a message out: it was simple, since Jughead was still pretty much a stranger to me. Unlike Cole to Lili. Who were this huge famous couple.

 **Hey.** I replied. The message felt blunt. So I quickly add: **This might seem weird, but can you hear Cole in your head?**

No, he'll think I'm crazy. I delete the text and just leave him a simple: **Hey.** The phone vibrates in my hand a few seconds after I send it, and another text illuminates the screen;

 **Now: Cole: You're a talker aren't you?**

What's he talking about? I wrote one word!

I stare at the screen for a moment, trying to figure out what Jughead means. Though it hits me suddenly, and I feel ridiculous. He's being playful. _Teasing. Sarcastic._

I don't bother replying to him and slide the phone back into my pocket. The cab driver is nodding along to a song with a jumpy beat. I love the way the melody seeps into me. "How're you tonight, love?" The cab driver asks kindly, as he weaves us through busy LA traffic. All I can see is the red blur of car lights glinting in the haze. No wonder Lili lived here. Los Angeles was beautiful. _The City Of Angels._ My mind provides, and I can't resist a grin as I peer out of the window. I almost forget the cabbie's question. "I'm okay," I answer with a smile his way. "I'm just really tired."

He nods in acknowledgment. "Been traveling?" He asked. He must have been referring to the rucksack dumped on the seat next to me. My gut twists for half a second. _Lili's last Instagram post._ I can't help swallowing, and nod. This time my smile is forced. Though the cabbie doesn't seem to notice. "My daughter listens to your music," He chuckles. "She can't get enough of your new album." More forced smiling and nodding. "I'm…" I pause, and my tongue is tied. "I'm glad she likes it!" I say as enthusiastically as I can. Lili's phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, thankful for the distraction. There's a new text. Though it's not Jughead. This time it just says **DR. W**.

 _Dr. Wilder_. I tap it and read the message. It's only a few lines. Some of it is good luck wishes, but the majority is orders on how to control Lili's social media accounts.

 **REMEMBER: Make sure you update her Instagram story tonight. It can be any time. Make sure it's either food, a selfie (picture of your face) or makeup.**

I don't reply to him. _I get it._ I switch the phone off, annoyed at its constant vibrating. Lili was damn popular. _How am I supposed to act like Lili in front of her family?_ Why wasn't there a briefing on how to act in front of her mom and dad? My stomach squeezes as I shove the phone back into the pocket of my parka and I spent the rest of the cab-ride trying to get a hold of Lili's mind. She's in there somewhere. I shut my eyes, will away any distractions and stare into darkness. Though it's fruitless. I can't reach her. I try repeatedly, seeking out the connection that held us together. I heard her earlier... _I heard her!_ So why can't I hear her now? I end up giving myself a headache. An uncomfortable feeling blossom's across my forehead and I bite my tongue. _Pain_. It was my first time feeling pain, and it sucked. The cab driver notices in his mirror. "Headache?"

"Mm." I manage, casting my gaze to my lap. The cabbie chuckles. "Have a nice warm drink when you get inside and watch some Netflix." He says. I nod with a smile. _Netflix._ I'd seen that word in Lili's file a lot. Netflix was a streaming service for television shows and films. I could do with that.

When the cab finally pulls up outside Lili's house, I thank the driver and jump out, hauling the rucksack with me. I take a second, just standing there and staring at the house in front of me. It's a huge brick structure with two balconies at the front and a driveway leading to a huge garage no doubt filled with cars. I take a breath and drag myself up the driveway, taking my time. I loved the way my shoes scuffed against the concrete. My hair is in my face and it's still raining, but I revel in the cool breeze brushing across my face. There's a large glass sliding door, and I pull out the key-card Dr. Wilder handed me before I jumped in the cab. _"All you need to do is flash the card in front of the door,"_ He'd explained. I follow his instructions and watch the doors glide open automatically.

 _Now that's cool._ I step into Lili's house, marveling at the decoration. There's fairy lights strung all over the walls twinkling. I seem to be in the kitchen. It's your average living area. There's a cooker, refrigerator and a breakfast bar. I spot a bowl of what looks like soggy cereal still on the counter, and I can't help wandering over. The food must have been left a while. There was a funny smell curling in my nostrils and when I got a proper look in the bowl, there was mold sprouting from what looked like Reese Puffs. _Her favorite cereal._

I startle when there's a loud crash, and my heart stops. _Someone was here?!_ Before I can think logically, I'm dumping the rucksack on the marble flooring, and making my way towards a door leading to what looked like a living room. My breath is stuck in my throat as I inch closer to the door. "Hello?" My voice breaks, and I feel like hitting myself. _What if whoever took Lili has come for me?_

"Lili?" A male voice sounds out, sounding just as startled as me. I freeze, racking my brains for the name's of Lili's male friends.

Who was she close to again? Though I don't have time to think. I steel myself and push myself through the fancy door leading to the living area, and find myself staring at a boy I recognize from Lili's files. Lili's living room looks cosy as hell. There's a flat-screen TV and a huge leather couch. The floor is wooden, and I cringe when my converse slide on it.

Casey. I know it's him from the grainy images in his file. He had looked a lot more... _clean_ in his photographs.

Though the dark scruffy hair is a dead giveaway. He's wearing a blue shirt that's crumpled and covered in stains, and jeans. He's kneeling in front of a pile of papers that look... _important._ The second he sees me, he gathers them all up and holds them to his chest. Already this guy is screaming _Suspicious. "_ Lili!" He sounds flustered and when he looks up at me, his cheeks are bright red. "What are you doing here?" He tries to laugh it off, but he's trying to hide his obvious shock and confusion. I can only stare at the bunch of papers in his arms. He clutches them as if holding a newborn child. _What was he hiding?_

I can't speak. My throat is too dry. This was my first proper interaction pretending to be Lili. She's supposed to be laid back and smiley. So I fashion my mouth into a lazy smile, and fold my arms. "I just got back." I answer, and Casey frowns at me. He doesn't look convinced. The kid looks like he hasn't slept in weeks.

"Really?" Casey cocks an eyebrow. He looks wary, almost afraid. He takes a slow and subtle step backward. "I thought you weren't getting back till tomorrow?"

I shrug. _Play it cool._ "Does it really matter?" I giggle, but he doesn't smile back. So I fix him with a smirk. "Are you going to tell me why _you're_ here?"

Casey looks uncomfortable. "You said I could use the house if I got locked out." He muttered. _Liar._ I think. Thank god I don't say it out loud. Instead, I nod in understanding. There's a knock at the door, and Casey stares at me, raising his eyebrows when I freeze. "Are you gonna answer that?"

I want to ask him about the papers in his arms. Though I only nod with a smile. "Back in a sec!" I say cheerily. Though to my irritation he follows me to the door. I'm surprised to see Archie, Jughead and Veronica standing outside. My heart skips a little. They've changed into their AP attire. Veronica is wearing Camila's classic baseball cap, and a denim jacket while Archie is wearing a black beanie, and an orange sweater. Jughead wears a casual checker shirt and jeans. He's fiddling with a loose curl of his raven hair, a sweet smile on his lips.

I smile brightly at them, hoping Lili greets them like that, and slide open the door, letting them walk in. Jughead automatically pulls me into a hug, and I'm confused for a second, until I remember we're supposed to be dating. I squeeze him back, giggling lightly as if Lili would. "Are you okay?" He murmurs in my ear. I'm not sure if he's playing Cole, or his question is genuine. I pull away and smile softly at him, before kicking into my Lili facade. "What are you guys doing here?" I grin at the three of them. Veronica is admiring her fingernails, while Archie frowns at Casey, and the papers still pressed to his chest.

Jughead shrugs and flings his arms around me. "Friday night is pizza night, remember?" He shoots me a smirk, and I can see past his fake expression. He's actually asking me if I remembered the information on Lili. He'd been stealing glances at me earlier when I was reading through her papers. He was right. Every Friday was pizza night. I nod with a smile, and I'm about to peck him on the cheek, or act flirtatious, though Casey lets out a loud, spluttered laugh that puts me on edge. Jughead turns to him, frowning.

"Okay, cut the shit!" Casey yells, and my stomach twists, my breath catching in my throat when he reaches into the waistband of his jeans and pulls out - _a gun._ Jughead grabs me and drags me backwards and Archie and Veronica stumble back with us.

"Casey?" I manage to cry out.

He only glares at me. "They was right." He murmurs, his hands are shaking. "My god, they- they were fucking _right!"_

Veronica is clutching Archie's arm. "Who was right?" She demands.

Casey only glances at me. "Bobcat." He says softly, his gaze then flicks to each of us, as if searching for something. I frown at him in confusion. "Bobcat?" I whisper, though that seems to aggravate him even more, and his index finger comes dangerously close to the trigger.

Archie throws up his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, man!" He chuckles nervously, though I can tell he's terrified. "What's going on Casey?" He tries to take a step forward, a reassuring notion. But Casey lets out a hiss, and waves the gun at the boy. "Don't come..." He lets out a shaky breath. "Don't come any closer, I mean it!"

The four of us stay frozen. It's funny. I've never felt proper fear before. Though I feel it now, the goosebumps running across my arms, the shivers down my spine. It's frightening and beautiful all at once. "I'm only going to ask this once," Casey says softly. He takes a deep breath and Archie nods. "Okay bro," He murmurs. I overheard him muttering to Jughead that KJ said "Bro" too much. It was all over his texts to his friends and family. There were even videos of him saying it. The redhead nodded his head. "What is it?"

Casey's eyes narrowed. "Before they went on their road trip they told me they didn't feel safe, like.." He trails off. "Like someone was watching them." his voice breaks. He scratches the back of his head with his gun, and I sense genuine emotion in his expression. He's terrified. "And I.." He gasps out, stumbling on his words. "I didn't fucking listen to them!" He lets out a sharp laugh. "I thought they were losing their goddamn minds!" _Them_. My chest aches. I notice Archie and Veronica stiffen. Somehow, he knows we're not _them._

"Casey." Jughead murmurs, but the boy shakes his head violently. "No, no shut up!" He yells. "What's the word?" He demands. Tears are slowly trickling down his cheeks, and his breathing is haggard. "I...I say Bobcat, and you say…" Once again, he waits for one of us to supply the rest. But we don't. Because we're not his friends.

 _They had a secret code with Casey._

Which means they _knew_ they were going to get taken. Once again, shivers slowly prickle down my spine. Lili _knew_ she was going to be taken, and had tried to warn Casey. Tried to tell him something was wrong. But clearly, Casey had thought she and the others were nuts. A thought strikes me.

Did Lili know about the Artificial Printing? Did she know about us?

Archie clears his throat. "Casey," he says sternly. I have to admit it. He's a good actor. His face is scrunched up with confusion, though there are hints of amusement glinting in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Though Casey ignores him. His teeth are gritted. "Prove to me you're them," He says softly, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. "Alright?" He waves his gun manically. "Prove to me this isn't some Body-snatcher's shit!" His glare is piercing, and I feel a wash of emotions come over me. Part of me wants to punch him in the face, and the rest of me wants to give the kid a hug. I'm lost for words, and what to do. Only Lili and the others know the secret word. Something tells me if we don't speak soon, Casey will pull the trigger.

"Well?" Casey spits, prompting us. We exchange helpless looks. His expression is frenzied, his eyes wide. "I say Bobcat, you say…"

 **Please review for more! :) This was so fun to write, aye. I love adding the cast, it makes stories so much more interesting when there are two worlds colliding ;) What do you guys think happened to the original's? ;)**


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